Divorick
by HookahSocialism
Summary: A bit of head canon playing on the divorce of season 2 playing out a bit differently and digging a little deeper into Beth's own experience with her parents separation.


Summer runs into the garage as Rick is just looking at some parts and taking down notes.

"Grandpa Rick! I overheard mom and dad talk about getting a divorce!"

"Good..."

"I...how is that good?!"

"Summer (belch!) humans are petty overly emotional creatures. Your parents especially. They'll be so busy lording over eachother the details and up in eachothers business after the divorce I have seven...eight months to be uninterrupted in my work or contradicted when it comes to taking Morty with me on my routes... I mean Ill still get interrupted by YOU but hey...cant (burp) win them all..."

"This is SERIOUS Rick! Couldnt you like..light some kind of phermone candle and make a dopamine steak dinner to rekindle their love?"

"I COUUUULD but do I want too? Also dopamine...thats a big word for you. Trying to impress a boy at school or something?"

"You are such an ass grandpa. How do you not care?! I mean think of how Morty is going to take this. And arent you at all worried mom will hurt inside?"

"Summer you seem to forget that if im your grandpa that means you also had a grandma...and if me and your grandma's separation didnt stop your mother from making this decision I doubt you and Morty being upset will do you any better. In fact...let me show you something."

Rick pulls open one of the drawyers on his desk and pulls out a shiny rubix cube looking thing with dog stickers all over it."

"See this? After me and your grandmother had a fight I made her this as a gift. Put in a certain combination and it will create by pulling together subatomic particles a puppy of any dog breed you desire. A healthy, adorable puppy. I later realized it would just have been easier to take your skank grandmother to the pound and pick pick out a dog. God knows many of them have been through enough and deserve at least one good thing in their life to find a home. BUT... I was younger than. I tried showing that even mean old sociopath Rick can show sentiment and be romantic. You know what happenend?"

"What?"

He pulls from another drawyer the skull of a German Shepard and tosses it to Summer. She catches it and realizes what shes holding and drops it. "Oh my God!"

"Yep (belch!) when she left she didnt just leave me behind...she left the dog and Beth. She didnt care. Beth doesnt care. You wont care. For a gender so hellbent on proving love and affection through gay little exercises, you sure do bail as soon as the oxytocin starts to wear off. I kept that dogs bones to remind Beth every day of just how easily people stop giving a fuck about you. Did that dog ever run away? No. Did that dog ever wish it had a different owner? No... hell sometimes I would forget to feed him and still all it wanted to do was lay beside me and hurt when I hurt. Be happy when I was happy. That damn dog loved me more than your grandmother ever did. Didnt stop her from lecturing ME about what love was. Luckily Im a genius and what little she could take from me didnt amount to anything valuable. Your father wont be so lucky...but whatever. Jerry is a bitch anyway."

"Thats so morbid Rick...it didnt even occur to you that might traumatize mom?"

"Do you need (belch) a fucking hearing aid Summer? I just got done telling you your grandmother left me and your mom in the lurch. That dog was the only thing your mother knew wouldn't, COULDN'T abandon her... and she didn't learn a God damn thing and neither will you. Toss it in the garbage if you want."

Summer looks at the skull on the cement and picks it up. She stares at it for a solid minute and walks back inside as Beth is drinking wine alone and Jerry is just in the living room sulking trying to hold back the tears. Neither of them even notice Summer and Summer goes up to Beth with her arms behind her back.

"Mom..."

"I'm sure you heard Summer. Look, I know this is gonna be hard on you and Morty. But after almost twenty years I just cant even bare to look at Jerry anymore. He just gets more wormy, more pathetic, theres no passion, no connection, and you kids are old enough to where you'll adjust...its a prison Summer."

"I get that mom trust me. But like...when dad wanted to quit his job you threw a fit. I was about Morty's age when that happened and remember it vividly. You were so upset he'd turn his back on a good job like that cause he was unhappy. But you're going to tell me...that turning your back on a human being is better than just some shitty job?"

"You been talking to dad or something Summer? Look, even a bad job has a silver lining or two...your father and I...don't. I've been trying for months now to find a silver lining and I just can't."

Summer takes her arms from behind her back and puts the dog skull on the table and walks away. When Beth sees it she thinks back. Staind's song "right here waiting" is playing as she remembers when she saw her mom drive away and looking up seeing her dad cry for the first time and the young german shepard poking him with his leg worried about him. When he would just lay on his bed

"Im going to school now dad...dont forget to feed the dog."

"Yeah yeah i wont."

She comes home and the dog food bowl is still empty. But the german shepard is laying ontop of Ricks legs and she feeds him and the dog gets up excited and licks her and Beth gives him a big hug.

As she gets a bit older and says shes going out on her first date with this Jerry guy "Don't forget to feed him this time dad I mean it!"

Rick is welding some sort of device with a welders helmet on and waves at her without saying a word. Several hours later Rick is reaching for a part that isnt there and the german shepard now grey has in his mouth the part and hands it to Rick. Rick opens up the welding mask and pets the dog on the head and gets up to feed him. When Beth gets back she sees Rick still welding thinking he never left that chair but sees theres a bit of food left in the dog's bowl and nods and smiles.

Back to the present she tears up and runs to go talk to Jerry.


End file.
